Record rainfall leads to sewer spills in Hendersonville

Thursday

Aug 29, 2013 at 9:00 AM

This year’s record-setting rainfall led to several sewer spills in Hendersonville, but it could have been worse, according to the city’s system performance annual report.

This year’s record-setting rainfall led to several sewer spills in Hendersonville, but it could have been worse, according to the city’s system performance annual report.Eight sanitary sewer overflows resulting in 6,115 gallons of untreated wastewater reaching area streams were reported in the 12-month period from July 1, 2012 to June 30. But after reinforcing its system, the city estimates it kept 1,834 gallons of runoff for every inch of precipitation from entering their lines.Asheville Regional Airport has received more than 50 inches of rain since January.“City staff has been consistently working on an inflow and infiltration reduction program,” according to the report. No fish kills or other known environmental impacts were reported as a result of the eight sewer spills, which the city blamed on “localized flooding during the winter and spring months of 2013,” according to the report.Four overflows soaked the city and washed into Mud Creek and a tributary of Bat Fork Creek on Jan. 17. The first reported overflow occurred in the vicinity of 416 S. King St., where about 375 gallons of untreated wastewater eventually entered the creek. The incident, resulting from a bent bolt on a manhole that prevented it from being secure, was reported to city staff at 3 p.m. and ended at 3:15 p.m., according to the report.A leaky seal around a manhole in the vicinity of Greenville Highway and Joel Wright Drive contributed to 840 gallons of untreated wastewater entering Mud Creek from 4:30 p.m. until flood waters receded at 11:30 p.m.Excessive rainfall flooded an unnamed tributary of Bat Fork Creek in the area of Powell Road and New Hope Road with 600 gallons of untreated wastewater during a two-hour period from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Another damaged manhole in the same area was believed to have contributed to a 3,000-gallon spill in the same tributary from 4 p.m. to midnight.On May 5, an overflow spewed from a different manhole in need of replacement near 416 S. King St. Approximately 1,800 gallons of untreated wastewater eventually entered Mud Creek from 11:35 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Heavy rainfall also caused the manhole, which was fixed with a new bolt in January, to leak 150 gallons of wastewater from 1:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. that day. A third overflow was noted at a manhole in the vicinity of Powell Road and New Hope Road from excessive rain between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., causing 1,800 gallons to leak into a tributary of Bat Fork Creek.The last reported overflow occurred in the area of 1415 Highland Ave. on May 15, when 300 gallons of untreated wastewater entered Britain Creek from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Debris was removed from the line with a city vacuum truck.“During the year, our crews have cleaned 152,263 feet of our sewer system, or approximately 19 percent, of the gravity system,” Collection System Supervisor Tim Sexton said in the report. “Our crews also inspected approximately 35,874 feet of sewer mains or approximately 4.5 percent of the gravity system using closed-circuit TV equipment. The city invested over $218,000 in new closed circuit TV equipment and (a) vehicle and approximately $350,000 in new vacuum cleaning equipment and (a) vehicle over the past 12-months.”Reach Weaver at Emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.

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